Truss



Aug. 19, 1941. w. H. BARLow TRUS S Filed April 20, 1939 wazzerja'zaregw .1.

WITNIII Patented Aug. 19, 1941 UNITED STATES .PATENT ,OFFICE rrRuss Y Walter H. Barlow,` Stroud, Okla.` Application April 2i), 1939, Serial No. 269,006

` 1 claim. (c1. 12s-117) rI'his inventionrelates to trusses for treatment K andreduction of rupture known as` hernia.

An` object of theinvention is to provide a truss having a pressure spring` adapted to embra'ce the wearers body, and a pad carried by the spring adapted to yieldably bear against the rupture and swing with the body motion of the wearer to exert a counter pressure at the particular angle which the wearers body exerts pressure against the pad, for the purpose of holding the rupture in place and massaging the body tissues.4

A further object is to provide a truss having a pad formed of two sponge rubber chamois skin covered sections assembled as a unit and coacting to simulate pressure of the fingers and arm of a person pushing a rupture back in place.

A further object is to provide a truss adapted to automatically govern the pressure applied, so that unusual strain upon the affected part, causing a bulge, will occasion additional pad pressure upon that particular part and thus meet or equalize conditions which arise by the flexing of muscular tissue, without irritation to the surface of the skin or without discomfort to the wearer.

A further object is to provide a truss which will be formed of a few strong, simple and durable parts which will be inexpensive to manufactureand which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modcations may be resorted to Within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any o the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a truss constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the ad. p Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the pad taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the sponge rubber sections which is concave on the top and bottom faces as initially formed.

`Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of reference designate similar parts in the various views, the outer section of the pad is shown to comprise a blank I@ of sponge rubber formed with a flat bottom surface I I and a slightly arched top surface I2 merging with the bottom surface at the edge of the blank in curve surfaces I3. The blank is substantially `oval in contour. The purpose of thus shaping the blank `is to simulate the ball or ,tip of a persons finger.

The blank` I0 is -backed Vthrough the medium of a leather or other backing I4 disposed against the flat bottomsurfa'ce II of the blank and extending throughout -the entire area of the surface. Preferably four small boltsv I5 are passed through the backing as bestshown in Figure 3.

A 4chamois skin facing I6V is drawn smoothly over the sponge 'rubber blank II] and. directed along the Ilower kface `of the l backing I4. The edges are drawn toward `each other throughlthe medium of stitching with thread as shown at Il to secure the facing in place.

The base section of the pad comprises a blank I8 of sponge rubber, of greater thickness than the blank Ill, and the top and bottom faces are concave as shown at I9 to provide greater thickness at the periphery than at the center. As best shown in Figure 2 the blank I8 is provided with sti backings 20 and 2I, preferably formed of leather, disposed respectively upon the upper and lower faces of the blank. A substantially oval ring 22 of comparatively stiii material is interposed between the upper backing 28 and the sponge rubber blank I8 to form a wearplate for the nuts 23 of the bolts I5.

A chamois skin facing 24 is smoothly stretched over the backing plate 28, sponge rubber blank I8 and backing plate 2I. The edges of the facing are drawn tightly toward each other on the bottom face of the backing 2I through the medium of thread 25 stitched through the edge portion of the facing. When'the facing is thus applied the initial shape of the section I8, as shown in Figure 4, is changed so that the blank I8 fills in all of the space between the backings 20 and 2i but the sponge rubber is under greater tension at the edge portion than at the center to simulate movement of the arm of a person applying pressure at various angular directions to push a rupture back in place.

A plate 26 of any suitable stili material is cemented or otherwise secured to the facing 211 on the bottom face of the backing 2|. A pair of bolts 2l is secured to the plate 26 along its center median diameter as best shown in Figure l.

'Ihe pad is secured to a pressure spring 28 formed of steel wire bent in the form ci a loep to embrace a portion of the body of the wearer.

The spring is provided with a substantialiy tri` angular shaped plate 2t at one end having an opening 38 to receive one of the bolts 2l, which later forms a pivot bolt, and is also provided with an arcuate slot 3| concentric with the opening 3U to receive the other bolt 21 which later forms an adjusting bolt to adjust the position of the pad relatively to the spring. The spring is provided at the opposite end with a conventional pad 32 for contact with the body of the wearer.

A fastening 'strap 33 for the truss is provided alt one end with an elastic strip 34 which is attached to vthe conventional pad 32 in any preferred manner. The free end of the strap is provided with a series of openings 35 adapted to interchangeably receive a screw 36 which is threadedly engaged in the plate 26 as shown in Figure l. The strap is merely for the purpose of assisting in holding the pad in place rather than for causing the pad to exert additional pressure. All of the pressure exerted is exerted by the spring 28 itself.

The spring is rigid but can be adjusted up or justed on `the spring in any way necessary to "meet that condition.

The chamois skin covering is washable and also clings to the skin and will not irritate'the skin due to its porousness.

The surface o'f the chamois skin'covering the Contact section of the pad, which comes in contact with fthe skin,"ad

4l'ieres to the particular "point wherev it is set, andthe pad sectinbehind thecon'tact section performs the pressure "movement to meet the distended part.

In operation, the pad will massage the aiected part at every move of the body, and due to the ilexibility of the soft spongy rubber centers of the pad sections, the outer pad section which contacts the skin surface of the wearer will remain intact at all times, but the movement of the wearers body causes a flexing motion against the contact section, through the base section of the pad, and this occasions the massage of the affected parts.

From the above description it is thought that the construction and operation of the invention will be fully understood Without further explanation.

What is claimed is: A truss comprising a pressure spring adapted to embrace a portion of the body of the wearer,

Aa pairof sponge rubber blanks of substantially equal diameter superposed upon each other to form a pad, chamois skin facings smoothly stretched over 'the blanks, Astifl'backings for the blanks, 'means connecting theba'ckings rtogether, one of "the blanks having 'a ilat bottom surface and 'a slightly 4arched top surface'm'erging with the bottom surface `at'the 4edge of `the blank in a curve to simulate the concave on the topland bottom faces of the ball Vor tip of a lpersons ringer, the other blank'being shaped to provide greater tension at the edge portion than Aatthe center to simulate movement ofthe arm of a person applying pressure at various 'angular directions to push'a rupture back `inplaceg-anrd means attaching'the pad to one end of the spring. 

